New Grand Theft Auto At E3?

Jesse Divnich, director of analyst services for Electronic Entertainment Design and Research (EEDAR), believes we may see a glimpse of a new Grand Theft Auto title at E3 in June.

Speaking to Game Informer, Divnich made a big prediction as to what we may see at the industry trade show in June. "I think we’re going to hear about another Grand Theft Auto. I think there won’t be any playable stuff. I think they’ll give you some type of teaser, because we do think that a year from then in 2011 we’re going to see another Grand Theft Auto."

We asked Divnich about whether Sony or Microsoft would try and nab some sort of exclusive rights to the newest GTA, but he thought that those days were over. "I don't foresee Microsoft or Sony attempting to obtain any type of exclusivity with the next Grand Theft Auto. Microsoft paid a lot of money for exclusivity on the downloadable content for GTA IV, which unfortunately did little to move consoles for Microsoft. Back in 2004, the Grand Theft Auto was a huge brand, but only relative to the other brands that existed at the time. While the GTA brand is certainly bigger now than it was five years ago, others have emerged to reach similar levels of success, such as Call of Duty or Guitar Hero. In other words, if Sony gets an exclusive deal on GTA V, it would do little to disrupt Microsoft's ability to move hardware, and vice versa."

For more on what Divnich and others in the industry think might happen in 2010, be sure to check out our Connect feature in the February issue (#202) entitled, "The Road Ahead: Experts & Insiders Look Ahead at 2010".